This creamy coconut curry Thai turkey soup recipe is incredibly flavorful and easy to make. The tastiest way to use up leftover turkey or chicken!
I know I just posted a leftover turkey noodle soup two days ago, but here's another one. 😛 This one's different enough that I feel ok posting two turkey soup recipes in a row.
I hope those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving had a good one.
This Thai coconut turkey soup is the perfect thing to ease you out of your turkey coma. It's warm and cozy but also fresh and fairly light. That's what I love about Thai food... the creamy coconut milk, fresh herbs, and vibrant flavors. Such a good combo.
Play with the flavor
This soup is flavorful but not what I'd call spicy. If you do want to make this soup spicier, add some grated ginger, sriracha, and/or chili paste.
Not feeling some of the fresh herbs? Don't include them all.
Are you a salt fiend like me? Add a splash of soy sauce.
Serve the soup with lime wedges.
Taste and adjust until you think it tastes perfect.
If you like Thai-inspired recipes, you may also like my easy Thai shrimp curry, this 20 minute Thai chicken curry soup or my Thai green curry soup with vermicelli.
Naturally, this soup works well for Thanksgiving leftovers, but it could also be made on another occasion where you have leftover or rotisserie chicken. Or just cook a turkey breast if you want something a little different. I've done that before.
I hope you'll give this leftover turkey soup a try!
Looking for more leftover turkey recipes? Try my turkey wild rice soup, this easy creamy turkey soup, or my leftover turkey pasta.
Questions? Ask me in the comments below.
Thai Turkey Soup
This creamy coconut curry Thai turkey soup recipe is incredibly flavorful and easy to make. The tastiest way to use up leftover turkey or chicken!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 heaping tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 cups cooked turkey
- 7 ounces rice noodles see note
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 (13.5 fluid ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- Scallions chopped, to taste
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
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Chop the onion, red pepper, basil, cilantro, and scallions.
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Sauté the onion in the olive oil in a large soup pot for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
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Add the garlic and curry paste and cook for 30 seconds.
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Stir in the chicken broth, water, lime juice, turkey, rice noodles, and red pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
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Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the coconut milk, and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes.
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Stir in the basil, cilantro, and scallions.
Recipe Notes
- Serves 4-6.
- Want to make this spicier? Add some grated ginger, sriracha, and/or chili paste.
- If you want this to be saltier, try a bit of soy sauce or just adding some regular salt.
- I used half a package of Thai Kitchen stir fry rice noodles (not the super thin ones) for this soup. You could add the whole package, but keep in mind it'll soak up the soup broth faster, so you may need to add more broth, especially if you reheat it.
- I used Thai Kitchen red curry paste.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Aly Foster says
We celebrated [...] with a giant 25 lb roast turkey for four of us. Leftovers galore.
This was delicious!!! A very different take on typical leftover dishes. Loved it!
Natasha says
Haha I like your style! So glad the leftovers were yummy too! (I edited your comment because bloggers are being told not to use buzzwords associated with current events because it may impact search engine rankings).
Adele says
This recipe was super yummy! I was lacking a lot of ingredients... thanks [...] (no lime juice... so I used lemon juice, no fresh basil or cilantro, no rice noodles so I use cooked up some fettuccine noodles and added them) and just added some carrots & broccoli as I had no red peppers. The flavor of the soup was so good and what a great way to use up leftover turkey. Will definitely be adding to my soup repertoire and plan to make it again!
Natasha says
Hi Adele! I'm so glad that you were able to adapt it based on what you could get. Thanks for leaving me a comment! (I edited your comment because bloggers have been told not to use buzzwords associated with the current events because it may affect our search rankings, so I am erring on the side of caution)
Sarah says
This is SO yummy! I added zucchini, sweet potatoes, and carrots to bulk it up a bit! LOVED IT! I also used lite coconut milk, still turned out amazing!
Natasha says
I'm so glad to hear that!
Sarah says
Hello, when did you add in the sweet potatoes and zucchini and how long did they take to cook? Thanks
Natasha says
Not sure if she will see your comment, but if you chop everything fairly small, you could just add them in when you're cooking the onions. Perhaps give it another 5-10 minute or so on top of the indicated recipe time prior to adding in the noodles.
LInda says
Excellent soup recipe - one can do a lot with it!
My son likes more robust soups so I made Thai meatballs with ground turkey to include - they were really a great addition and can use when there is not enough turkey to add (my dilemma because a lot of extra turkey goes with the family after!) or if it's not around Thanksgiving. I used turkey carcass stock and made a big batch. Included water chestnuts, too and diced yellow potatoes and sliced baby carrots to bulk it up. Thanks for the great idea for a different kind of turkey soup than the standard versions......
Natasha says
I am so happy you like it so much, Linda! I think that's a great idea making turkey meatballs... mmm!
Maria Ricossa says
This is a Brilliant recipe and very forgiving. I followed the recipe pretty accurately but played around with the amount of red curry paste, used all homemade stock and no water, added a bit of soy sauce and hot sauce as per your suggestion, used chicken and threw in a big bag of greens near the end.
The daughter and husband proclaimed it was the best soup they’ve ever had.
Natasha says
That's great!! I am so happy it was a hit!
Pawel in Seattle says
I followed your recipe but increased everything proportionally for a huge pot of soup. Tastes great over rice too.
My dilemma? My son and his wife are vegetarians (but they do eat fish and shrimp). How to prepare your recipe so it is just as tasty without chicken or turkey stock?
Natasha says
So glad you liked it! Hmm... how about a combo of vegetable stock and fish sauce?
Bridget says
This looks and sounds delicious I think I will make it today. Thanks
Natasha says
Let me know how it goes!
Leah Henry says
I was looking for a recipe to use my leftover turkey that was not the same old turkey soup. I tried this one and was very pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I will make it again but with just a few small adjustments. Instead of adding two cups of water, I plan to increase the chicken broth to six cups for a more robust flavor. Also, since I love spicy foods, I will add a chopped hot pepper as well.
Natasha says
I am so happy that you enjoyed it, Leah!!
Abbey says
This looks amazing! Does it have a strong coconut flavor? I love coconut curry but my boyfriend does not like anything coconut so I'm hoping this could still work for us. Otherwise, I'll just have to make it for myself =)
Natasha says
Hi Abbey! I haven't made this since I posted the recipe, but I do recall tasting coconut in the broth. More for you 🙂
Tina Phillips says
I am Keto so noodles are out. Do you think cauliflower rice would work??
Natasha says
You could definitely try that, Tina!
Vivian Bellini says
This had to be the best, best soup I have ever made! I love Asian style anything! I used a left over store bought chicken with some meat left on it, I boiled and used the broth, and the meat (if I kept it much longer I would have to waste it)! I did have to add some condensed broth, I was out of red bell pepper, but used carrots instead! I did not have Curry Thai paste, so I used some curry powder and mixed it with a kind of Siracha sauce! I was also out of limes but I had lime concentrate! Now I think of it, I can't wait to make it as it was originally supposed to be!
I like it hot and spicy and even added more hot sauce!
What a great way to use left over turkey or chicken! I also like the idea of putting in a little peanut butter, as someone had suggested! Great flavor!
Natasha says
I am so happy it all worked out, Vivian!! 🙂
Connie says
Made as is. DELICIOUS!! What a nice change from traditional Turkey Soup. Thank you for this awesome recipe.
Natasha says
Wonderful! So happy it worked out, Connie!
Rosemary says
Amazing soup! I doubled the recipe and since I only had 1 red bell pepper the other one was orange; it worked perfect. I added 1.5 tsp kosher salt to a double batch. At the end, before serving I stirred in a 13.5 oz bottle of Thai sweet chili sauce and 1/4 c lime juice to the Double batch of soup to give it the spice we like without making it too much. I have made it twice and the family and neighbors love me! Thank you Thank you!
Natasha says
That’s awesome to hear, Rosemary! So happy it worked well. ❤️
Lizzie says
Oops, didn't buy full-fat coconut milk, and the soup needed some texture, so I added a couple of teaspoons of peanut butter. Did the job perfectly! I'm going to make this again but probably not with the turkey which got out-classed with all the yummy spices and herbs. Very warming and pleasant.
Natasha says
Ooh peanut butter is a good idea!! I'm so glad you liked the soup, Lizzie!
Karly says
Great use of leftover turkey! Love soup when its cold outside!
Natasha says
Definitely! Thanks so much, Karly!
Kelsey says
Did you precook the noodles?
Natasha says
Nope. They only take a few min to cook. Hope you like the recipe! 🙂
Natasha's Sister says
Can you make this for me except without the turkey?
Natasha says
No. You're hilarious btw.